A solution to smart home frustrations might be coming from the same place you go for your meatballs and flatpack furniture, IKEA.
The ‘smart home’ promised a seamless, futuristic life, but what many of us got was a collection of gadgets that refuse to talk to each other. It’s a world of different apps, confusing hubs, and the constant headache of wondering if that new smart plug will work with your existing setup.
IKEA is about to release more than twenty new smart home products, all built around one magic word: Matter. If you haven’t heard of it, Matter is essentially the universal translator for smart home technology we’ve all been waiting for.
Matter offers somewhat of a guarantee that your new smart light bulb from one brand will be on speaking terms with your smart speaker from another. It means less time troubleshooting and more time enjoying a home that actually feels smart.
David Granath, Range Manager at IKEA of Sweden, said: “Until now, smart home technology hasn’t been easy enough to use for most people — or affordable enough for many to consider.
“Bringing Matter to our products means we are taking a big step in the right direction, offering compatibility across brands, and lowering the threshold for people to get started. Our goal is to make the smart home easy to use, easy to understand, and within reach for the many.”
At the heart of this plan is IKEA’s unassuming little DIRIGERA hub which acts like a friendly gatekeeper for your home. It won’t just control all the new IKEA gear; it will also welcome in Matter-certified devices from other companies.
Even better, DIRIGERA acts as a bridge for your older IKEA smart products so they’re not destined for the scrap heap. The hub teaches them to speak Matter so you don’t have to throw everything out and start over.
True to its heritage, IKEA is also thinking about the soul of our homes. Electronics are often functional but drab. A speaker was something to be heard, not seen. IKEA wants to change that.
First up, in July, is the NATTBAD speaker, a slice of retro fun with the look of a classic radio that is available in various colours:
The device will be followed in October by BLOMPRAKT, a table speaker that’s also a lamp, designed to create a cosy corner with both light and sound on a dark evening. The focus is on simplicity and warmth, with no-fuss features like Spotify Tap so you can get the music playing instantly.
“We’ve learned a great deal about creating high-quality sound experiences that are easy to use. We understand how people want to furnish with sound in a way that adds atmosphere and feels natural in the home. Those learnings continue to guide us as we bring the worlds of home furnishing and sound closer together,” explains Granath.
“Our aim is to make sound accessible, functional, and enjoyable — without adding complexity. That’s what sets us apart, and that’s what we’ll keep building on as we shape the next chapter of what sound can be in the home.”
To cap it all off, the company is also launching a design collaboration with Swedish colour expert Tekla Severin. The partnership aims to splash personality and style onto our gadgets and shows IKEA’s vision for the future of the smart home isn’t about cold, hard tech but adding devices that are a reflection of who we are.
See also: Samsung revamps SmartThings platform with more AI features
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